UFC Fight Night 114 results: Full fight card winners, analysis, and reaction

Sergio Pettis improved to 16-2 in mixed martial arts with a unanimous decision victory over Brandon Moreno in the main event of UFC Fight Night 114: Pettis vs. Moreno. The fight took place on Saturday, and it saw Pettis in a precarious position for nearly the entire first round.

Moreno took Pettis’ back early in the round and kept it, threatening a rear-naked choke or other submissions. But Pettis survived the round and went on to convincingly win enough of the next four to earn the unanimous decision, 49-46, 48-46, 48-46.

Pettis is now a definite contender for the title in the UFC’s flyweight division, though getting past Demetrious Johnson looks impossible at this stage. Johnson has been the champion since September 2012, so Pettis, younger brother to former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, has his work cut out for him.

For Moreno, it was his first loss in the UFC after three straight wins with the promotion. He’s still one of the best flyweights on the roster, but he has a long road back to title contention.

The card saw four first--round knockouts, including two on the main card. The first saw featherweight Humbert Bandenay land a massive head kick on Martin Bravo, scoring the 26-second knockout. The second was a huge punch and ground-and-pound from Niko Price on Alan Jouban in the welterweight division.

Also on the main card, Sam Alvey earned a split decision victory over former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans. It wasn’t really a close fight, but Alvey didn’t exactly impress with a limited striking game. Evans couldn’t get Alvey to the mat and had nothing to offer in the standup himself.

Below are the full play-by-play results from Saturday’s main card, and below that is the full list of results from the night of fights.

Round 1: Moreno lands the first strike, a hard leg kick. They quickly scramble and Moreno ends up with a takedown, on top. He is in full guard but he’s patient, and he eventually passes and takes Pettis’ back. He secures a body lock and is looking for the rear naked choke. He has a body lock on Pettis, but Pettis has both is legs free, which is about the only thing going for him. Pettis gets up against the fence and tries to walk up, but Moreno spins him back around. Moreno is patient and really wants the choke. No strikes are being landed and he hasn’t come close to securing the choke, but he holds the position through the round. It could have been a 10-8 round.

Round 2: Moreno connects with a right straight after about a minute of feeling out. Moreno throws a head kick that misses, and then a body kick that Pettis catches. Moreno ends up on his back, but Pettis wants to keep the fight standing. Pettis nearly ends up on top of Moreno in another scramble and nearly ends up with Moreno’s back, but the fight stays standing. Pettis lands a couple straight left hands. With a minute to go, Pettis lands a leg kick, and just misses with an overhand right. Moreno misses with a left hook, and Pettis connects with another leg kick. Moreno tries a huge left uppercut that just misses.

Round 3: Moreno lands a good one-two to the body. Pettis connects with another leg kick and nearly lands a huge left uppercut that Moreno just avoids. A left hook is also avoided by Moreno, who rushes forward for a wild winging combo, and he trips. He ends up on the ground and he invites Pettis to come forward, but he doesn’t want any part of it. Pettis just misses with a head kick and backs up. Moreno sprints after him and throws a body kick, but he eats a massive right hand from Pettis. Moreno is hurt from that shot and he slows down big time. Moreno tries for a takedown and he doesn’t get it. Pettis connects with a couple straight punches and a short head kick. He walks Moreno into the fence. Moreno has a big cut as Pettis is picking him apart in the standup near the end of the round.

Round 4: The referee looks at Moreno’s cut and the doctor is consulted, but the fight continues. Moreno throws a huge overhand right that misses. Pettis lands a kick to the body. Moreno fakes a left hook and connects with a body kick that doesn’t land big. Pettis connects with a left jab, and a knee to the body. It was nearly a knee to the head but Moreno just avoids a big knockout loss. Moreno comes forward with another punc combo that misses, and he also misses with a spinning back fist. Pettis peppers him with more jabs that land. Moreno connects with a right hook, but Pettis is still well in control. Pettis lands a stepping left jab. He steps into a big right hook that just misses. Pettis tries a step-over kick and ends up on his back but the round ends.

Round 5: This fight will be a weird one to score given the dominant round from Moreno where he had Pettis’ back but really didn’t do damage. Moreno gets back on top near the start of this fifth round, into full guard, and Pettis is in trouble. Moreno is warned by the referee to make something happen or he will stand things up since it’s only full guard. Pettis holds Moreno down and his opponent can’t pass. Moreno tries to explode to his feet and throw a big falling punch, but eats two upkicks before getting back on top. Moreno does connect with some ground and pound, but he can’t pass from full guard. Pettis gets to the fence and tries to walk up. Moreno is hanging on to Pettis and drags him back down, but he isn’t doing any damage. He ties to get Pettis’ back and nearly has it when Pettis flings him off. They are back standing with just over a minute to go. Pettis connects with a body kick as Moreno misses with a right hook. Pettis lands a spinning body kick and the round comes to an end with the two winging hooks.

My card: 48-46 for Pettis

Round 1: Markos comes out swinging, throwing big combos that aren’t quite landing. Grasso is doing a good job of staying out of Markos’ range. Grasso comes in with a big right hook that just misses, but she connects with a body kick and a left hook to the jaw that stuns Markos briefly. The opening minutes went to Markos, who was throwing with volume, but Grasso is looking good in the latter half of the round. She gets Markos against the fence and then scores the trip. She ends up on top, on Markos’ back. Markos gets to her feet, but Grasso pulls her back and is looking for the rear naked choke. She doesn’t get it though as Markos gets back to her feet and presses her against the fence.

Round 2: Grasso connects with a leg kick. Markos attempts a takedown, but Grasso keeps her balance and turns it into a trip on Markos. Markos eventually gets back to her feet though. Grasso throws a kick that Markos catches and turns into a takedown of her own. Markos ends up on top, but Grasso spins out of it briefly and nearly takes top control. Markos, though, rolls back over and right into full mount. She lands some big ground and pound. Grasso can’t get up with a minute to go. Markos lands some more huge punches from the top. Grasso manages to get into half guard, but Markos remains on top. This is huge for Markos. She can’t get a finish, but ends the round on top.

Round 3: Grasso just misses with a big right straight. Markos attempts a takedown and fails. Grasso lands right straight as they separate. Markos attempts another one and manages to drag Grasso down to the mat, into full guard. Grasso throws some punches from her back. Markos lands a short elbow but can’t land anything big without passing. Grasso gets back to her feet with two minutes to go. She had the momentum early in the first round, but she needs a big finish here in the third to win. Markos attempts another takedown and Grasso shakes it off. Markos is staying back out of Grasso’s range. The fight comes to an end with Grasso trying to land, but unable to get anything big.

My card: I have Grasso winning, 29-28.

Round 1: Jouban is bouncing around and active right out of the gate, but Price isn’t overwhelmed. Price keys up a huge right straight that lands right on the temple and sends Jouban to the ground. Price swarms him, gets on top of his back, and wings big hooks that have Jouban pretty much out of it. The referee comes in to stop the fight and it’s another quick knockout.

Round 1: Bravo throws a big body kick early and he gets Bandenay backing up. But Bandenay throws a massive head kick that lands and knocks Bravo out cold. He doesn’t even need a follow up, but he connects with two hammer fists before the referee can stop it. This one is over and fast. Bandenay gets a massive knockout for his highlight reel.

Round 1: Evans comes out and immediately wants to secure the takedown. He gets Alvey against the cage and holds him there for some time. Alvey lands an elbow in the clinch but other than that, his back remains against the fence. Evans eventually drags him down to the ground. But Alvey uses the fence to walk back up, and they finally separate with about a minute to go. Alvey ust misses with a left hook. Evans lands a right hook to the face, but Alvey eats it without issue. Evans gets Alvey up against the fence again as the round comes to an end.

Round 2: Evans lands a big body kick. Alvey is walking him down but hasn’t landed anything significant yet. He does sneak a right hand through that does some damage. He sneaks a left straight through, and connects with a right hand to the face as Evans attempts and misses a takedown. Evans does eventually secure a nice takedown and even has Alvey away from the fence, but he can’t hold him down and they get to their feet quickly. Evans is taking some big breaths. Alvey lands a straight right and misses with a right uppercut as the 10 second mark hits. Alvey connects with a knee as Evans fails a takedown attempt and the round ends.

Round 3: Alvey connects with a right straight. He is walking down Evans, but he isn’t throwing with enough volume. His corner is yelling at him to punch more. He’s landed more than Evans, but nothing serious. He lands a right straight, and a left counter, on the jaw. Evans tries a takedown and gets Alvey up against the fence. Alvey lands a knee to the head as Evans gives up on the takedown. Evans tries to land the big right hook but misses twice. The round comes to an end.

My card: This was a bad fight, but Evans really didn’t do anything. Alvey, 30-27.

Round 1: Pérez attempts a head kick that misses. Both fighters are feeling each other out, eager to land a counter. Pérez connects with an overhand right followed by a couple leg kicks. A straight left of Soukhamthath lands flush on the button and knocks Pérez to the mat, but he doesn’t swarm and Pérez gets back to his feet. Soukhamthath sneaks another left straight through, and eats three consecutive leg kicks from Pérez. Pérez lands a left straight of his own and misses with a huge right haymaker. Pérez goes for a combination and Soukhamthath sneaks the left straight through once again, sending Pérez to the mat. He gets back up, though. Soukhamthath is taunting Pérez at this point. Two more leg kicks from Pérez with 10 seconds left. Soukhamthath nearly takes his head off with another left, but he just misses, and the round comes to an end.

Round 2: Pérez lands a nice left jab followed by a right hook, and then another combo just like it. Soukhamthath attempts a flying knee but he misses. Pérez eats a short right hook and left uppercut. Pérez goes for another leg kick and eats, once again, a massive straight left that puts him, once again, on his back. He’s right back to his feet though. A left hook to the body and a left hook right to the face of Pérez, and Soukhamthath is taunting some more. They scramble, and Pérez lands a left hand and Soukhamthath slips and ends up on his back. Pérez gets on top, but Soukhamthath isn’t hurt. Soukhamthath holds on to Pérez’s head and won’t let him transition at all. Pérez pushes Soukhamthath to the fence, a mistake, as Soukhamthath quickly gets to his feet. Another big left straight from Soukhamthath, but Pérez does land a good spinning back elbow.

Round 3: This fight has been all Soukhamthath, but the takedown from Pérez could have swayed a judge. It would be a shame if that was the case, but it’s possible. Pérez attempts a takedown early in the third but Soukhamthath shakes him off. Not a lot of action for the next minute or so. Pérez gets Soukhamthath against the fence and goes for a double-leg takedown. He lifts Soukhamthath and secures the takedown. They are up against the fence, though, and Sokhamthath gets up quickly. Pérez connects with a right hook as Soukhamthath misses from outside. Soukhamthath lands a straight right but misses his follow-up shots. Soukhamthath shakes off another takedown attempt and begins walking Pérez down. Soukhamthath lands a big left hook and misses with another flying knee. Pérez is backing up and Soukhamthath does a jumping body kick. He ends up on his back and the round, and fight, comes to an end.

My card: Soukhamthath wins, 29-28, but the takedowns present an interesting issue for the judges.

Main Card

Flyweight: Sergio Pettis def. Brandon Moreno via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-46, 48-46)
Women’s strawweight: Alexa Grasso def. Randa Markos via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Welterweight: Niko Price def. Alan Jouban via TKO (punches) at 1:44 of Round 1
Featherweight: Humberto Bandenay def. Martín Bravo via KO (head kick) at 0:26 of Round 1
Middleweight: Sam Alvey def. Rashad Evans via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Bantamweight: Alejandro Pérez def. Andre Soukhamthath via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Preliminary Card

Middleweight: Jack Hermansson def. Brad Scott via TKO (punches) at 3:50 of Round 1
Flyweight: Dustin Ortiz def. Hector Sandoval via KO (punches) at 0:15 of Round 1
Bantamweight: Rani Yahya def. Henry Briones via submission (kimura) at 2:01 of Round 1
Bantamweight: Jose Alberto Quinonez def. Diego Rivas via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Flyweight: Joseph Morales def. Roberto Sanchez via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:56 of Round 1
Lightweight: Jordan Rinaldi def. Alvaro Herrera via submission (Von Flue choke) at 2:01 of Round 1